Indianapolis 500 Fatalities
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List of race car drivers who did not make it out of Indy in May
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William Bourque +
Thomas Kincaid +
Harry T Martin
Louis LeCocq +
Arthur Thurman +
Herbert Jones +
Bill Spence +
Joe Caccia
Milton Jones
Bill Denver
Mark Billman +
Lester Spangler +
Peter Kreis
Clay Weatherly +
Johnny Hannon
Stubby Stubblefield
Floyd Roberts +
George Bailey
Shorty Cantlon +
Ralph Hepburn
George Metzler
Carl Scarborough +
Chet Miller
Bill Vukovich Sr.
Manuel Ayulo
Keith Andrews
Pat O'Connor +
Jerry Unser
Bob Cortner
Tony Bettenhausen Sr.
Eddie Sachs +
Dave MacDonald +
Chuck Rodee
Mike Spence
Jim Malloy
Art Pollard
Swede Savage +
Gordon Smiley
Jovy Marcelo
Scott Brayton
Tony Renna
Springfield, MA
Indiana
Iowa
Washington, D.C.
Indianapolis, IN
Los Angeles, CA
Bryn Mawr, PA
Cleveland, OH
Audubon, PA
Indianapolis, IN
Los Angeles, CA
Knoxville, TN
Cincinnati, OH
Morristown, PA
Los Angeles, CA
Van Nuys, CA
Indianapolis, IN
Indianapolis, IN
Van Nuys, CA
Indianapolis, IN
Clarkston, MI
Glendale, CA
Fresno, CA
Burbank, CA
Colorado Springs, CO
North Vernon, IN
Long Beach, CA
Redlands, CA
Tinley Park, Ill.
Detroit, MI
El Monte, CA
Indianapolis, IN
Maidenhead, England
Denver, CO
Medford, OR
Santa Ana, CA
Grapevine, TX
Phillipines
Coldwater, MI
Deland, FL
Hometown
DRIVER
Year
+ Drivers who died during the Race itself.
"These men are not wild and wooly characters who
do not care if they live or die, nor are they clowns
or speed-happy maniacs.
They are men with a special skill which they have
developed over a hazardous few years. They survived
the development period and became great in their
profession.
Having survived and become champions, they lived on
an exciting plateau alone with their own kind, above
other men, envied by many who were not gifted with the
daring spirit and the ability to live life to the
fullest possessed by them."
~ Johnnie Parsons, 1970
"To race is to live. But those who
died while racing knew, perhaps,
how to live more than all others."
~ Juan Fangio
Others Killed At The Speedway:
Harry Holcomb
Claude Kellum
Sam Dickson
Robert Bandini
Nicholas Mollinard
Paul Marshall
Clarence Grove
Harry Cox
Bob Hurst
G.L. Jordon
Robert Hahn
Leo Whitaker
Albert Opalko
Lawson Harris
Spectators killed at the Indy 500:
George Warford, Indianapolis, IN - fireman
Otto Rhode, Toledo, OH
John F. Masariu, 42, Danville, IN
Jerome Urban Albright, Indianapolis, IN
James Patrick Cross, Indianapolis, IN
Armando Teran, 22, Santa Monica, CA.
Arthur Morris, 64
Peter Lenz, 13
Hometown
RIDING MECHANIC
Springfield, MA
Indianapolis, IN
Los Angeles, CA
France.
Indianapolis, IN
Haverford, PA
Indianapolis, IN
Indianapolis, IN
Lafayette, IN
Chino, CA
Los Angeles, CA
Gary, Ind.
Indianapolis, IN
Both spectators were killed when Charlie Merz wrecked (which also
killed a riding mechanic)
Veteran driver Tom Alley, driving relief for Earl Cooper, crashed into
a fence, injuring school boys watching the race through a knot hole.
16 year-old Shoup was killed.
1930 winner Billy Arnold is 5 laps ahead on lap 162 when his rear axle
breaks and Arnold crashes. His wheel flies over a fence and hits and
kills 12-year-old Wilbur Brink who is sitting in his garden on
Georgetown Road. (Arnold broke his pelvis and and his mechanic,
Spider Matlock, broke his shoulder.)
Young Chicago race driver Emil Andres crashed in Turn 2 and his car
overturned three times. A wheel from Andres's car struck Spence as
he watched the race from atop a truck.
They were killed during the Scaffold Disaster
A wheel from Tony Bettenhausen's car came off and was punted high
into the air by the car of Roberto Guerrero and flew all the way up
hitting Kurtenbach who was standing in the top row of the old K-East
stand, located where the east North Vista is now.
Homer Joliff, 27, Franklin, Ind.
James West, 39, Indianapolis - riding mechanic
Bert Shoup, 16, Lafayette, Ind.
Wilbur Brink, 11, Indianapolis
Everett Spence, 33, Terre Haute IN
Fred Linder, 23, Indianapolis, IN
William Craig, 37, Zionsville, IN
Lyle Kurtenbach, 33, Rothschild, WI
A crankshaft on Overton Phillips's Duesenberg broke during practice
and he crashed into another car in the pits setting off a huge fire killing
these two men. Rhode was a Chief engineer for Champion Spark
Plugs and Warford was a fireman.
Acting as traffic director on track after a crash and fire, a fire truck,
driven by his friend no less, accidentally backed over him, killing him.
17 y/o Decatur Central H.S. boys who were working at the golf course
sought shelter in a restroom during a thunderstorm. Lightning hit killing
the boys.
A firetruck, racing to a crash on the track, hit the crewman on pit lane.
a 20-year safety patrol worker lost control of his scooter and ran into a
concrete wall on Hulman Blvd (in the infield.) This accident happened
while he was working during the Brickyard 400 weekend.
was racing during the MotoGP weekend in a motorcycle class for
teens. During a morning warm-up lap, Lenz crashed in turn one of the
oval. He stood up, but was then struck by another motorcyclist, killing
him.
"One crowded hour of glorious life
is worth an age without a name."
~ Piers Courage, 1970, five days
before he was killed in the Dutch
Grand Prix. He was 28.
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